In the early 1980s, a small underground art movement, known as Guerilla Art, gained popularity in response to the spread of commercialism into public places. This type of art was installed in unauthorized locations though contrary to popular belief, does not always include the use of spray paint. Guerilla Art allowed the artist to expose the public to a different type of aesthetic or to an idea in an anonymous way.

Some famous examples of Guerilla art include the many pieces by Banksy, the Charging Bull sculpture in front of the New York Stock Exchange as well as Keith Haring’s Subway Art.

Recently a resurgence in Guerilla Art has been seen with the birth of the Art Abandonment Movement. This movement was the brainchild of Michael deMeng and involves abandoning art in random public places. In the first week of its creation, this movement had 2500 members and has now risen to over 7,000 members worldwide.

Now the creator is taking the movement a step further by declaring March to be “Repurpose with a Purpose”. The challenge is to head to second-hand stores and modify an existing piece of art to abandon. It could be an old print, a sculpture or a figuring. Michael deMeng says to “Take it home, art it up and set it free.”

You want to learn more about this growing movement? Visit his Art Abandonment Facebook page or read his book The Art Abandonment Project: Create and Share Random Acts of Art available on Amazon.